INFORMATION RELEASE

On 11/25/19, at about 6:47 AM, the Juneau Police Department received a 911 call from 36-year-old William Robert Warden, who reported that his girlfriend, 36-year-old Latina Dawn Helfinstine, was having a seizure and had hit her head inside their apartment located in the 300 block of Fourth Street in Juneau. Capital City Fire and Rescue responded to the scene and then transported Helfinstine to the Bartlett Regional Hospital for emergency medical care. At the hospital, it was learned that Helfinstine had sustained a skull fracture, and her condition was considered critical. She was medevaced to Providence Medical Center in Anchorage where she was pronounced deceased on 11/29/19.

JPD began an investigation into the cause of the injuries soon after Helfinstine was admitted to the Bartlett Regional Hospital. As Helfinstine’s condition worsened and then she was pronounced deceased, the investigation became a death investigation. As detectives investigated the cause of death, more information was learned that led detectives to believe the cause of death was suspicious and possibly related to a homicide.

Over the next 9-10 months, detectives investigated the cause of death and then submitted the police report to the Juneau District Attorney’s office. On 10/01/20, a Juneau grand jury heard the evidence in the case and indicted Warden on two counts of murder in the 2nd degree and one count of manslaughter in the death of Latina Helfinstine. A warrant was issued for Warden's arrest, with a bail set at $50,000.

On 10/02/20, at about 8:30 AM, Juneau Police Officers contacted Warden at a residence in the 700 block of West Willoughby Avenue, and he was arrested on the warrant without further incident.